A person with dwarfism is sick and tired of parents using him to parent their kids, and in a recent incident, he decided to respond back. Now, the mother who used him as a threat to her child wished she didn't do it at all.
Children should be taught by their parents that there are a wide variety of people in the world. They should be educated about different cultures, races and nationalities, and people with physical and mental disabilities. They should be taught to celebrate everyone, even those people who look or act differently than they do, and their unique qualities instead of judging or criticizing them, according to Bored Panda.
These are all parents' responsibilities, and yet they themselves seem to need a refresher on their actions and manners towards special groups of people, especially on utilizing these people as props for parenting.
'Don't use me to parent your kids'
Recently, a man with dwarfism shared a particular incident when a mother used him as a threat to her misbehaving child.
He narrated that he was in public and there was a kid around 4 or 5 years old that was acting out. The mother was obviously having a difficult time keeping him under control, and so she pointed at the man with dwarfism and told her son that the man was one of Santa's elves, watching him so that he could tell Santa Claus about his behavior.
The man was disturbed, yet he remained calmed. He saw the name of the kid on a key ring in his backpack and called on him. He then told him that the child need not worry because he was already on the "nice list," and Santa has told him that he is getting an iPad this Christmas.
Hunter, the kid, was definitely excited, but his mom was not, the man with dwarfism concluded.
The man shared this story on Reddit Monday, and spoke up about his frustration with parents who are using him as a parenting and/or teaching tool.
"What I can't stand is when people try to use me to parent their kids. I'm sure you can think of ways to convince your kids to finish their plate at dinner that don't involve pointing at a dwarf in public and saying "that's what happens when you leave food on your plate" or "he didn't listen to his mommy when she told him to eat all his vegetables". It's rude, it's humiliating, and it teaches your kid that differences are a bad thing and that people are at fault for their differences or disabilities," he strongly declared.
Read Also: Fifteen-year-old suffering from dwarfism refuses to live an abnormal life
His story was also the stories of other disabled people
The man's story opened up a platform for other people with disabilities to share their own experiences with parents who used them as props to threaten their kids.
A person with cerebral palsy shared an incident when a mother pointed towards her direction and informed her child, " that's what's going to happen to you if you don't pray," further implying that my condition is a punishment.
Others also shared how when they were still kids, their parents would use people with disabilities to frighten and parent them.
One narrated how his/her family used a person with Albinism. This family would convince this person to be a good kid because if he/she does bad things, they would send him/her to the house of the man with Albinism, and the latter would eat him/her.
This person further expressed that it was a horrible experience as a child, and it took a lot of work for one's self to undo. He/she also stated that he/she has a "ton of unconscious bias" to unburden due to the parenting practices he/she grew up with.
Parents were also expressing sympathy for the man with dwarfism and are even apologetic on how their fellow parents are treating him.
One parent thanked him for his parenting advice," promising to take to heart his advice that parents just need to say something about how people are naturally born different, but even if they do look different, they are still regular people like everyone else.
The parent said that he/she has a daughter and when the time comes that the child encounters a "different person," he/she would definitely use the explanation. The parent also praised the man with dwarfism for his quick wit and epic response, and expressed an apology about the insulting and derogatory comments thrown on his physique.
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